Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritime Science Branch has collected grain size data from sediment and water column samples using bottle samples, sediment cores, and sediment grabs as part of numerous research projects not only in the Atlantic provinces, but also worldwide. The data collected by DFO focuses on the fine grained (<1mm) particles as these are both a source of food and means of contaminant transport. Grain size data are used to study the fate and distribution of complimentary chemistries like heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, aquaculture waste as well as a variety of physical processes such as the resuspension and transport of sediment.

Grain size is the most fundamental physical property of sediment, and these data are widely used in a variety of applications in science. Marine expeditions of the Geological Survey of Canada have been collecting grain size information on seabed and sub-seabed samples for over 50 years. Results have been recorded at 5th phi midpoints since the early 1990's in contrast to the earlier full, half or quarter phi interval end point values. Users of high resolution data must note that the sum of %Silt and %Clay equals the total %Mud makeup and that %Gravel, %Sand, %Silt and %Clay sum to 100%. Summary statistics include percentages of gravel, sand, silt, clay and mud as well as mean, kurtosis, skewness and standard deviation. The quality of these data varies. Results should be used with some caution as they may not be fully representative of seabed grainsize, particularly in areas of sandy and coarser sediment (e.g., sand and mud can leak out of the sampler during recovery). Canada makes no representation or warranty of any kind with respect to the accuracy, usefulness, novelty, validity, scope, completeness or currency of the data and expressly disclaims any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose of the data. For the purpose of the web mapping service, grain size data are sorted by the expedition id. Coarse and detailed grain size distribution plots are shown when a point is chosen. If the sample contains more that one sub-sample ( e.g., as with a piston core sequence), the grain size plots are stacked in the display window from the top of the core downwards.

This layer contains point features that represent New Brunswick Geological Survey till sample locations where laboratory grain size analysis was completed. Grain size data are contained in the attribute data for each location.Grain size analysis is limited to the dry-sieved <2 mm fraction of collected till samples. This fraction of the till sediment is subjected to hydrometer grain size analysis to determine the percentages of sand, silt, and clay. The process is based on the hydrometer method of Bouyoucous 1962.Sand: 63 µm to 2 mmSilt: 2µm to 63 µmClay: < 2 µmBouyoucous, G.H. (1962) Hydrometer Method Improved for Making Particle Size Analysis of Soils. Agronomy Journal, 54, 464-465

This layer contains point features that represent New Brunswick Geological Survey till sample locations where laboratory grain size analysis was completed. Grain size data are contained in the attribute data for each location.Grain size analysis is limited to the dry-sieved <2 mm fraction of collected till samples. This fraction of the till sediment is subjected to hydrometer grain size analysis to determine the percentages of sand, silt, and clay. The process is based on the hydrometer method of Bouyoucous 1962.Sand: 63 µm to 2 mmSilt: 2µm to 63 µmClay: < 2 µmBouyoucous, G.H. (1962) Hydrometer Method Improved for Making Particle Size Analysis of Soils. Agronomy Journal, 54, 464-465

These datasets provide information pertaining to sediment grain size, porosity, organic content, total carbon and nitrogen concentrations, trace element concentrations, chlorophyll and phaeopigment concentrations, and meiofauna and macrofaunal abundance in Simoom Sound between November, 2000, and February, 2001. Data formatting of files were performed by Meagan Mak.Sutherland et al (2023) covers the benthic component of a broader project investigating potential modification of marine ecosystems by shrimp trawling and trapping on the central coast of British Columbia. Sediment and infaunal samples were collected before and after fishing with commercial fishing gear consisting of otter-trawl, beam-trawl, and trap-lines. Simoom Sound was sampled in November 2000 and February 2001. Tabulated data of sediment characteristics that include sediment grain size, porosity, carbon and nitrogen content, trace-element, and chlorophyll concentrations are presented in this report. In addition, the infaunal data are comprised of both macrofaunal and meiofaunal communities.

This dataset includes water chemistry data collected from five of the six lakes as part of the Northwestern Ontario Size Series project in 1987 and 1990 including species of nitrogen and phosphorus, carbon, chlorophyll a, conductivity, soluble reactive silica, chloride, sulphate, conductivity, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, pH, alkalinity and organic acids

Fecundity of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) was estimated within five spawning areas (German Bank, Scots Bay, Seal Island, Southern Shore Nova Scotia, and Eastern Shore Nova Scotia) in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) areas 4WX in 2019 and 2020. The objective of this project was to describe the fecundity-at-size (weight, length, and age) relationships among spawning grounds, compare these relationships to historical fecundity-at-size relationships, and assess the influence of changes in weight-at-age and fecundity over time to the reproductive potential of a unit of spawning stock biomass.Cite this data as: Barrett T. Data of: Fecundity of Herring in Divisions 4WX. Published: September 2021. Population Ecology Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/e39b1318-c9f7-4686-b5e5-7d838c8ac99a

This dataset represents abundance data of commercial size Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus; ≥ 80 mm shell height) from 2011-2023 from the Bay of Fundy Inshore Scallop Survey. Data is binned into 5-mm shell height bins, is prorated to an 800 m tow length and 17.5 feet (5.334 m) drag width (i.e., representing an area swept of 4267 m2), and was collected using unlined dredge gear. Each row represents a tow and contains information such as tow date, cruise name, gear type, geographical coordinates (decimal degrees, WGS 84) and the Scallop Production Area in which the tow took place. Survey protocols are documented in Glass (2017). This dataset contains tow data from a comparative survey conducted in 2012 (Smith et al., 2013). Further, these data correspond to the publication of Hebert et al. (2025).ReferencesGlass, A. 2017. Maritimes Region Inshore Scallop Assessment Survey: Detailed Technical Description. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3231: v + 32 p.Hebert, N, Sameoto, J.A., Keith, D.M., Murphy, O.A., Brown, C.J., Flemming, J. 2025. Interannual variability in the length–weight relationship can disrupt the abundance–biomass correlation of sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus). ICES. J. Mar. Sci. Smith, S.J., Glass, A., Sameoto. J., Hubley, B., Reeves, A., and Nasmith, L. 2013. Comparative survey between Digby and Miracle drag gear for scallop surveys in the Bay of Fundy. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2012/161. iv + 20 p.Cite this data as: Sameoto, J.A. Data of: Bay of Fundy Sea Scallop Commercial Size Abundance Data. Published: December 2025. Population Ecology Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ecc09d98-56ed-4a27-ad62-5c3714a1d9b4

A coastal surficial substrate layer for the coastal Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy. To create the layer, previous geological characterizations from NRCan were translated into consistent substrate and habitat characterizations; including surficial grain size and primary habitat type. In areas where no geological description was available, data including digital elevation models and substrate samples from NRCan, CHS and DFO Science were interpreted to produce a regional scale substrate and habitat characterization. Each characterization in the layer was given a ranking of confidence and original data resolution to ensure that decision makers are informed of the quality and scale of data that went into each interpretation.Cite this data as: Greenlaw, M., Harvey, C. Data of: A substrate classification for the Inshore Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy, Maritimes Region. Published: March 2022. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f2c493e4-ceaa-11eb-be59-1860247f53e3

Funded through DFO's Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice (SPERA), this benthic survey covers several seabed areas adjacent to Deer Island and Campobello Island, the Wolves Islands, and Grand Manan (NB) over a two-year study period (2016-2017). One hundred and fifty drift camera transects were completed within the ~91 sq-km study region collecting continuous high-definition video with periodic 4K resolution video (provided by a downward facing Blackmagic Production Camera 4K equipped with video lights). A Nikon D800 36.1 megapixel digital still imagery camera (equipped with a studio strobe light) captured seafloor images at ~30s intervals over a maximum 25-minute drift survey period. The camera was triggered by lowering the camera frame within 1 m of the seabed, releasing tension on a trigger weight suspended below the frame. Camera location was tracked using an ultra-short baseline acoustic positioning system (Tracklink 1500HA transceiver with 1505B transponder on the camera frame). Species presence/absence, abundance, and bottom type was recorded manually using PhotoQuad v1.4 software. An average field of view of 0.7 x 0.5 m was determined from a subset of digital still images within which the 10 cm diameter trigger weight was fully in view. Thirty-eight key and common species were described using explicit taxonomic identifiers, while other species were recorded within broader general categories (e.g. unidentified Cnidaria). Identification was made to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Primary bottom-type was defined as the grain size with the most percent coverage for each image/video interval. Grain size limits were determined using the Wentworth scale.Cite this data as: Lawton P. Benthic Species Presence/Absence in the Lower Bay of Fundy Derived From High Resolution Video and Still Imagery. Published May 2022. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S.